Hot chocolate, how I love thee; let me count the ways: (1) classic and bold with a spoonful of marshmallow whip; (2) quick and easy for a walk around gawking at Christmas lights; (3) made of white chocolate and cinnamon—don’t @ me until you’ve tried it.
I love hot not-chocolate too—butterscotch is an ideal winter drink. But hot vanilla, that’s a real star. Vanilla is so often bullied as something plain and uninteresting, but good vanilla is a wonderfully complex flavor that evokes joy and nostalgia. Hot vanilla milk then seems to me the ultimate holiday warmer—a drink full of cozy flavors that sends the aroma of baked goods through the air, without the work of whipping up a batter. Add the words frothy and malted to the mix, and you have me locked in, ready for the ride of my life. So, the discovery of a Frothy Hot Vanilla Malted in the Gourmet archives really caught my attention.
From my earliest days, a chocolate malt was my go-to post-summer-swim order at The Pyramid, my tiny hometown’s premier ice cream enclave. When I was about 12 or 13, I overheard my sister’s friend order a vanilla malt at a different establishment. Before this life-changing moment, I’d never considered malt an ingredient one could apply to something other than a chocolate milkshake. The worlds it has opened for me are untold.
Since those days, I’ve worked malt into as many creamy desserts as possible: cake frosting, banana cream pie, brownies, you name it. I keep a stash of malt powder on hand most of the year. It brings a toasty, caramel-like undercurrent of flavor to whatever it touches. And it shines when paired with a dose of good vanilla. You can splurge on a jar of King Arthur malted milk powder, which is rich and bold, but Carnation is easy to find in nearly any grocery store (is equally available online) and is plenty delicious.
Gourmet’s vanilla addition to the creamy winter drinks canon also gets an optional splash of rum—but it’d be just as good without, or with bourbon or brandy in its place—and a dusting of nutmeg. The latter ingredient gives it eggnog-but-make-it-warm vibes that allow the drink to land solidly in Christmas cocktail territory for me. (Though, to be honest, I’d be happy to drink it anywhere, anytime.) It would be a knockout at a cookie swap, as it’s less overpowering than a cup of hot chocolate.
To give the drink a frothy, foamy top, Gourmet asks you to blend a portion of the hot milk before using it to garnish each mug. If you have a milk frother or an espresso machine with a milk steamer, this step gets even easier. And if you have none of the above, make the drink anyway; the toasty-creamy combination of vanilla, malt, brown sugar, and warm dairy is enough to lull you into a dreamlike state of winter bliss, even without a snowcap of foam on top.
